The Hanyou Bride
by music.movies.heart
Summary: Kagome lived a simple life on a farm with her family and their servant boy. That is, until she gets roped into marrying to a man she doesn't love AND kidnapped. To think that's only the beginning... Inspired by the Princess Bride
1. A Girl and Her Servant Boy

_MMH: Welp, this is my first Inuyasha story. I promised myself that I'd write only one story at a time and what do I do? I write three at once. Well one has been on the back-burner since it started, but that's not the point. This story is heavily influenced by "The Princess Bride" (both the book and the movie), but you don't need to watch it/read it to understand what's going on. Don't forget to review once you're done reading!_

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When Kagome was five, the most beautiful woman in the world was a youkai princess named Kagura. She would dance and drink tea and pick flowers all within the confines of her palace walls in the kingdom of A-Un. She had never seen anything outside the kingdom she had grown so accustomed to. Princess Kagura did not mind at first, but she soon realized that if she were to rule her kingdom one day she must meet the people. After much protest from the King and Queen, she disguised herself and snuck out of the palace at night to go out into the city. Princess Kagura learned many things within the walls of the palace, but what she did not learn was that the city that she lived in was cruel and unforgiving. After taking an apple from a street merchant without paying (she was unaware that she had to pay for something as trivial as a tiny fruit), the man simply cut off her head.

When Kagome was twelve, the most beautiful woman in the world was a priestess named Kikyo. She was kind and stunning, so it seemed inevitable that someone would fall in love with her. This someone was a thief named Onigumo. She was loved him as well, but could not accept his wedding proposals. He attempted many times to woo her, but many times she turned him down due to her vow of chastity. After five years of rejection from his love, Onigumo decided to punish her for being so prudish towards him. When Kikyo was asleep one night, he poured oil on her and set her on fire. Though she survived, Kikyo's skin was left charred and scarred.

So the task of the most beautiful woman in the world was bestowed on Kagome. Of course she did not know of the fate that fell upon Kikyo or Kagura, but the task was unknowingly hers all the same. Kagome had been told of her beauty, but she never let it inflate her ego. There was no point in wasting time on focusing on her appearance when there was work to be done.

The young maiden known as Kagome Higurashi lived on a farm in the countryside. She was a girl of simple pleasures; she enjoyed reading, she enjoyed playing with her cat, she even enjoyed teaching her little brother Sota to paint, but above all else, she enjoyed bothering the poor servant boy. Inuyasha had worked on her family's farm since she was five and he was nine. His mother died of an illness and his brother and father abandoned him when he was born. Kagome's grandfather took pity on Inuyasha not because he was an orphan, but because he was a _**hanyou**_ orphan. Inuyasha was not well-liked because of this tiny fact and it seems that the Higurashi's were the only people that weren't terrified of him or trying to rip him to pieces.

_Night fell upon the Higurashi household and rain gently tapped at the window pane. A young Kagome rubbed her eyes and a tender yawn escaped her lips as she sat curled up in her grandfather's lap on the couch. Sota sat on her mother's lap as she read a story to him in a chair by the fire. Her brother was only a baby, but he was still quite intelligent. His bright eyes took everything in with awe-struck wonder. Kagome's grandfather rubbed her head lovingly and she felt her eyes slowly droop as he whispered a lullaby. Just as she was about to drift asleep, a soft but quick rapping of knuckles against wood beckoned her out of her dreams and made her look to the door._

"_Grandpa? What was that?" she asked. Her grandfather placed her aside and got up to answer the door. His bones ached and popped as he shuffled slowly to his destination. The wooden door had grown heavier the older he became, but he refused to admit it._

"_Hello sonny, what are you doing here at this time of night?" the old man questioned when he saw a tiny figure standing in the doorway engulfed in his shadow._

"_I'm scared." The boy replied. Kagome watched her grandfather's back that was hiding the unknown figure with fascination. The Higurashi farm was quite secluded; the closest village was at least seventeen miles away. The elderly man looked around but didn't see any mode of transportation the young boy could have taken aside from his own two feet._

"_Why?"_

"_Those village people are trying to kill me." Alarmed, Kagome's mother closed the book and gave Sota to Kagome. In a second she appeared beside her father at the door._

"_Who's trying to kill you dear? You look absolutely freezing, come inside." She cooed gently and ushered the unknown figure out of the cold to the warmth of the fire. Kagome let out a quiet gasp at the young boy. Long silver hair cascaded down his back and two triangle ears were perched on top of his head. His honey-colored eyes were glued to the floor and fear was hidden within. Slowly Kagome got up, returning Sota to the loving arms of her mother, and cautiously walked up to the frightened boy. He looked over to her and gave her a fierce growl, but it instantly dissipated when her slender arms wrapped around his torso. _

"_Don't worry, you'll be safe now."__ She whispered._

She did not let the hanyou's poor treatment from others stop her from tormenting him when she could. However, it is unfair to call it torment; it was more of gentle teasing. For example, she would never call Inuyasha by his name; Kagome always called him "servant boy". After all, that's what he was. Every day she would order Inuyasha to do pointless chores and he would quietly comply with a nod. "Servant boy, milk the cows for me?" "Servant boy, I can't reach the cooking pan." "Servant boy, rub my feet? They hurt." No matter what she asked, he would do it for her without saying a word. The hanyou had not spoken since he was taken in and that bothered Kagome, though she was unsure why.

There came a time every now and then when the servant boy would run off in the middle of the night, but he always returned as the sun rose. When Kagome was younger she would always ask where he had gone, but Inuyasha would only reply with a shrug. When he didn't respond the young girl would rub his dog-like ears, but that quickly stopped when Kagome found out that he _**liked **_having his ears touched. At least by her, that is. She refused to see anything but mere coincidence when the hanyou would growl at anyone else who would try to touch his ears.

The seventeen year old Kagome drummed her fingers along the table as her grandfather was organizing his will no evening in particular. Sota was in bed after a long day and Inuyasha was in the barn feeding the horses. The servant boy never needed much sleep so he was almost always either working or eating.

"Let's see, thirty acres to Kagome, thirty to Sota, and five to Inuyasha."

"You're going to leave five whole acres to the servant boy? Grandpa you'll spoil him." Kagome said. She did not really care if her grandfather spoiled her, but why would her grandfather put Inuyasha in his will?

"Nonsense. The boy's been working here for twelve years and he deserves a little compensation." Kagome rolled her eyes as she got up and retired upstairs. She completely ignored that her grandfather gave her six times as much as the servant boy and instead decided to wallow and complain in the comfort of her bedroom. Her room was nothing much to look at, but then again her farm wasn't either. The only things that she had to call her own was her small bed, her frequently used candlestick, and one lone book that rested on the end table that her mother let her borrow. Kagome sat down on her bed and picked up her book and began to read. Well, she would have started reading if there hadn't been such a ruckus outside. _It must be those village boys again, those stupid village boys._ She rolled her eyes and fruitlessly attempted to focus. Becoming the most beautiful girl in the world at such a young age meant that Kagome had quite a lot of suitors. However, she saw no need to have a husband as of yet. They would ask her questions to get close to her, but she would always politely turn them down.

"Kagome, can I feed your cat Buyo for you?" "Oh I'm sorry; the servant boy has already fed Buyo." "You think you're too good for me, don't you?" "I don't think that. I just don't want my cat getting fat."

"Miss Kagome, I brought a cow for you and your family." "How kind, but we already have so many cows. I don't think we could stand to have another." "You think you're too good for me, don't you?" "I don't think that. We simply have too many cows."

Those were only two of the examples of the boys' many attempts to woo her. The boys, after years of being scorned, stood outside her window every now and then and would attempt to scorn her back. This specific night they laughed at and insulted her, but she simply ignored them. She did not care what they said because they just weren't worth her time. Just as the village boys had reached the peak of their loudness and Kagome was tempted to throw her only book at them, she suddenly heard thumping and yelling. She raced over to her window to see the village boys' figures running away into the distance and Inuyasha standing below her window with a proud grin on his face.

"Thank you, servant boy." Inuyasha looked up and simply nodded before turning around to head back to the barn. The young maiden watched him go and couldn't help but smile. The poor hanyou did take a lot of grief from Kagome, but he remained ever-loyal to her no matter what. That night she tried to sleep but found herself unable. Her mind kept wandering to the thoughts of Inuyasha.

"He works so hard. Perhaps he'd like it if he had a little down time every now and then." Kagome mumbled to herself. "Read a book, take a walk, maybe lie in bed…" her mind involuntarily flashed to her and Inuyasha thrashing about in her sheets, nude bodies rubbing against each other. She blushed a fierce red color and brought her hands to her cheeks. What on earth could have brought that idea about?

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"Kagome you smell like sweat and dirt. Take a bath." her grandfather said the next morning as everyone was at the table eating breakfast. Kagome was used to her grandfather's lack of subtlety because it showed he cared. He had always been that way, but he did try to be nicer to Inuyasha. Kagome was convinced he did that so he wouldn't "scare him off".

"I did take a bath. I took one this morning." The girl protested. She stabbed at her sausage and took a big bite as if it settled the matter. It did not.

"Then why do you smell like dirt? The boys do not like it when their girl smells of dirt, you know." Kagome rolled her eyes at her grandfather's comment and she noticed that Inuyasha did as well. A small smile appeared on her lips before continuing.

"I do not care if 'the boys' love me. Buyo loves me and that's all I need."

"Crazy cat lady." Sota teased beside his sister as he ate his eggs and bacon. Kagome glared and smacked the back of his head with her hand. Sota had always been a thorn in her side, but in the most loving way possible. There were times that she would want to throttle the boy, but she would kill anyone who tried to hurt him.

"Kagome do not hit your brother." Her mother scolded. After breakfast the family continued their day as normal, but Kagome felt something change within as she went to tend to the sheep. It was peculiar, there was no drastic event to cause this change, but it was still there. For some reason she could not bring herself to pull the servant boy away from his work to order him to do menial tasks anymore. She could only watch him from afar with a goofy grin plastered on her face.

Meanwhile in the royal palace Prince Naraku was hunched over his maps that were thrown about his room, head in his hands. He had been searching for the godforsaken Shikon jewel ever since he knew of its existence, but it had continued to elude him. The jewel was rumored to give ultimate power the person that possessed it and Naraku was determined that that someone would be him. The search for it consumed him so much that his father, the king, decided that his birthright of being the eldest had become mute and the next person that would rise to the throne would be his brother, Hojo. The man's desire to find the jewel that gave power ironically made him lose power. _I must fix that. I refuse to have something taken from me that is and always will be my birthright._

"Sir." A frightened young man with dark brown hair stood in front of his desk completely unnoticed. "Sir." He repeated.

"What is it Muso? I am dreadfully busy and cannot be bothered." His assistant had always been the unfortunate person to bear bad news to Naraku and he was quite tempted to kill this one. It's not like Muso was his first assistant to suffer this torture anyways.

"Ahem, your father is terribly ill…" The prince looked at his assistant with a bored look. "…b-b-but you already knew that. His mind is half-way gone and your mother has decided that your brother should rise to the throne." Naraku sneered and a quick thought flashed across his mind that involved Muso's head on a silver platter at the mention of his brother. "The queen believes it would be best that you choose your brother's bride while your brother learns the tasks that becoming king requires." There was a slight pause until a malicious grin spread across the prince's face and a dreadfully evil plan formed in his mind.

Naraku's brother getting married meant that his father would no longer become king. However, if his brother and new bride were to get in a little _**accident**_ that left them permanently incapacitated then he himself would rise to the throne. The death of his brother all depended on the man's future wife and the task of choosing was left to him.

"A bride, eh?" he mumbled to himself. "Let's see I need someone everyone adores, but someone easily disposable... Muso!" Naraku pulled himself out of his thoughts to shout at his assistant. Muso shook as he awaited his master's word. "Who's loveable but easy to get rid of?"

"Uh… I-I'm not sure, but I'm can get you someone by tonight."

"Good." With a simple wave of his hand, Muso was dismissed and Naraku sat overjoyed relishing in his own brilliant plan.

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A week had passed when a royal carriage appeared on the Higurashi farm. The lavishly decorated coach approached the house and every member of the family stopped what they were doing to watch. The carriage almost slammed to a stop and once the dust settled, a slender woman floated out of the carriage doors and over to Kagome's mother. The mysterious lady's pink irises scrutinized every wrinkle that was embedded on the middle-aged woman's face. The older woman observed the woman and was surprised at the short length of her jet black hair; it was normal for the poor to have short hair (due to the fact that it was easier to manage), but it was almost unheard of for the women of the upper class. Though it was a rather cool morning, she was wearing a thin, red silk dress.

"You are the mother of Miss Kagome Higurashi I presume?" Kagome's mother nodded her head gently. "I am Duchess Yura Kami and I currently rule over this countryside. The king and queen have a proposition for your daughter and request that I bring back the answer as soon as possible."

"Of course, would you like to come inside, Miss?" the duchess nodded and drifted into the house followed closely by the older woman. Kagome's mother grabbed a cracked and faded blue tea pot from the cabinet and proceeded to pour her guest a cup of tea. "Kagome! You have a visitor!" By this time the men of the household, Buyo included, decided that moment was an excellent time to "take a break" and filed into the house to watch what was going on.

"Yes Mama? What do you need?" Kagome skipped into the house and the servant boy desperately attempted to ignore the bounce of her breasts. It was still morning but her skin was dewy with little beads of sweat. Inuyasha inhaled deeply and her scent warmed his nose. She smelt of honey and vanilla. Even the duchess's scent, which was covered by a terrible perfume that made his eyes water, could not distract him from Kagome's wonderful smell.

"This is Duchess Yura Kami and she came all the way from the city to ask you a question. Isn't that nice?" Kagome nodded and took a seat next to the duchess. The woman stared at the young girl, as if inspecting every inch of her. Kagome shifted uncomfortably in her seat and waited until the duchess decided to speak.

"Prince Hojo would be overjoyed to have you become his bride." The blunt statement threw Kagome off-guard. She had had many suitors before, but never a royal suitor. She looked to her family for their reactions, but they all had the same gawk on their faces that she did. Even Buyo had wide eyes and stared the duchess as if she had made a mistake. After what felt like an hour of silence, Kagome finally found her voice to respond.

"Though marrying Prince Hojo would be a wonderful opportunity, I'm afraid I have to reject the offer. I can barely handle the stress from this farm; there is no way I could deal with helping rule an entire country." Inuyasha suddenly let out a rather loud sigh of relief and everyone turned to him. His eyes grew wide with embarrassment and he ducked behind Sota's small frame. A flash of disgust appeared on the duchess's face as she turned back to Kagome, but it was instantly replaced with a wide, obviously fake smile.

"I must ask you to deeply consider this offer. It would be such a waste for me to come all this way for nothing." She replied as gently as possible, but a hint of hostility was still hidden in her voice. Thankfully it was at that moment that Kagome's mother stepped in and saved her daughter from the duchess' icy gaze.

"Well, you must be tired from your long travel then. Why don't you stay at least until after lunch? That way you'll be leaving with a definite answer and a full belly." Kagome's mother always had a way of diffusing any tension, a talent that Kagome was immensely grateful for, especially at that moment. The duchess took her eyes of the daughter and nodded curtly as she took a seat on the chair by the fireplace to finish her tea.

The rest of the morning the duchess loomed over the Higurashi family like a vulture about to attack its prey. Despite the unwelcome visitor, Kagome didn't seem to mind too much. She milked the cows as Inuyasha baled hale for them to eat. When their eyes connected, a smirk appeared on Kagome's face and gently waved at the man. Inuyasha's cheeks dusted themselves with pink and replied with a small wave of his own. This little display did not go unnoticed by the duchess and a cruel idea popped into her head. As Inuyasha finished baling the hay, he grabbed a bag of feed and started feeding the chickens. Kagome tried to concentrate on milking the cows, but she couldn't help but notice that a slender figure had slithered its way over to the servant boy.

"You are quite the help around here, aren't you servant boy?" the duchess asked, rubbing her hand down Inuyasha's muscular arm. Inuyasha looked down uncomfortably and nodded. He found it was exceedingly difficult to focus on the chickens and not the duchess's plunging neckline. "You're strong, and efficient, and quite attractive too. I could use your kind of… help back at my manor. After all you'll be well-fed and taken care of in _**every**_ way." The not-so-subtle hint was caught by the servant boy, though he pretended to ignore it as he rolled up the bag of feed and tossed it against the barn. "What do you say? Would you like to come home with me? I've been lonely for so long. I think I'll need a strong man to hold me in the long, cold nights." His head shot up at the duchess's comment and a lovely shade of scarlet crept up his neck to his face. Unbeknownst to the servant boy and duchess, a pair of bright blue eyes was glaring at them.

If looks could kill, Kagome was sure that she would have been arrested for murder. How dare a random duchess appear on _**her**_ property and flirt with _**her**_ servant boy. Kagome's entire face burned with anger and she stormed back up to the house. She slammed the door shut, leaving the poor, confused cow completely abandoned. Once inside Kagome threw chairs across the room, she smashed plates onto the floor, and she was even tempted to kick Buyo. She quickly decided against that since her cat had claws to defend itself while the chairs and plates did not. Kagome continued her tirade until her grandfather and mother ran inside to see what all the fuss was about.

"Kagome what on Earth are you doing? Do you know how expensive that china was?" Her mother seethed. The young girl stopped when she noticed that Inuyasha had also appeared in the doorway with a confused look on his face. The two stared at each other; Inuyasha's eyes full of concern while Kagome's were full of hurt. She felt tears sting her eyes and sprinted out of the house before anyone could see them spill. She ran past the barn up the hill and into the woods that stood behind her house. She must have gone on for at least a mile and only stopped beneath a tree when her lungs started to burn to point that it was unbearable. Her legs gave out and she leaned against an old oak tree for support. All of the leaves were a dark, healthy green and the bark was sturdy and almost unbreakable. The shadows from the tree branches danced across the forest floor as the wind blew. Kagome lifted her legs to her torso and hugged them as if they would bring her love and warmth that she so desperately wanted from a certain servant boy.

"Kagome." The young girl looked up to see Inuyasha running towards her. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth was agape as his figure drew closer. The Higurashi family was convinced that he was mute. That was the first word he had spoken in years and he was speaking to _**her**_.

"I-Inuyasha? You spoke." Kagome's depression was almost forgotten as her soft, pink lips spread into a giant grin. Inuyasha kneeled next to her and looked into her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Her sadness returned with a vengeance as her eyes started to water up again at the memory of the woman that was still on her land.

"It's that duchess." She spat. "She can't have you. You're mine." the boy flushed and a slight shiver ran down his spine, which went unnoticed by the girl in front of him. "I…I was afraid…" she whispered, not realizing she had said it aloud.

"Why're you afraid?"

"When I saw you with her, I got this terrible pain in my chest. It felt like my heart was cut up into a million pieces. The duchess is so pretty and rich and you would be so much happier with her. When she offered you a place at her home, I figured there is no way you'd stay here." Kagome hid her face in her hands to avoid the judgmental glance she was sure Inuyasha would be giving her.

"Why would I leave the farm? I have everything I'll ever want or need. Besides I would never be happy with her. I could never love her because I love someone else." A few tears spilled from Kagome's eyes at that thought. _Who could he be in love with? There is no way I don't know her. It's that Eri girl from the bakery isn't it? She can't have him. He's my servant boy._ Inuyasha waited politely for any sort of response, but he didn't get one. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips. "Kagome, look at me." The boy commanded. When she refused, rough but gentle hands removed her hands and cupped her face. Kagome felt her eyesight lift to match his. "If love was a grain of wheat, I would give you a field that would go on forever. My love for you is as deep as the sea." This was the most that the servant boy had ever spoken and Kagome liked it very much. She loved the way his smooth, low voice warmed her heart. It made her feel safe.

"What? Inuyasha, I'm terribly confused." Though Kagome was the prettiest girl in the world, she certainly wasn't the brightest. It couldn't possibly be that he was talking about being in love with her, right? He smirked and as he brought their lips together, Kagome finally realized what he meant. All those years of him obeying her every command with just a nod, it was really him saying "I love you". It also fortunately occurred to her that she felt the same.

The walk back to the house was filled with a comfortable silence as they held hands. They noticed that the duchess was still there standing in the doorway and Kagome decided to repair the problem herself. "I am terribly sorry Miss, but I am going to have to stand by my initial answer. As for your proposition for Inuyasha, he has decided to stay here as well. _With me_. However, you may still stay for lunch if you'd like." She said with a smile. Needless to say, the duchess did not stay for lunch.

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_*Sigh* I'll be real with you. I like where this story is going, but I probably won't update as much as my other story. It's just fair warning. I will most likely continue it, barring the unexpected. I know that Inuyasha's kind of not in character, but that will change as the story progresses I promise. Now, go review :)_


	2. Out of the Pan and Into the Fire

_MMH: Here we go, chapter two. Not much Inu in this one, sorry. Don't forget to review!_

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After they had confessed their love for each other, their time spent together was filled with smiles. A few months later while Kagome was preparing dinner, Inuyasha decided it would be best to travel across the sea and make his fortune. She tried to get him to stay by saying that he didn't have to since they would be given enough land between them to live comfortable for the rest of their lives, but Inuyasha was unwavering in his decision.

"Your grandfather has given so much to me. I would hate to be indebted to him forever." Kagome bit her lip in apprehension, but she knew that Inuyasha would not give up.

"Fine, be careful." She said and without another word turned away to continue cooking the potato soup she had started. She did not want him to see her concerned.

"You're worried about me, aren't you?" he asked. Kagome continued to stir the pot on the fire not saying anything. Not one to be ignored, Inuyasha gently grabbed her wrist and twirled her into his arms. "Just wait for me and I promise I'll return to you unharmed." He grinned down at her. Kagome blinked at his request.

"Why wouldn't I wait for you? You're the only man I'd ever want to marry." She smiled. It was Inuyasha's decision to travel that caused him to board a ship not two weeks later. Kagome watched her silver-haired hanyou sail into the horizon as she waved from the docks, praying he would return to her safe. Unfortunately, that same ship that Inuyasha boarded was attacked by pirates lead by Captain Houndsfang. The man was famous for being a lover to women, but a death wish to men. No captive ever survived under his clutches. When Kagome heard the news of her love's death she sat up in her room for days crying. She sobbed every day until her lungs ached and her voice was nothing above a whisper. After two months of crying and swearing never to love again, she got out of bed and got back to work; the death of her love would not destroy the farm she and her family lived off of since before her mother was born.

At the news of Inuyasha's death, Prince Hojo only became more determined to marry Kagome. For four whole years she rejected his advances. There was no need to marry someone she didn't love when she was capable of working and living with her family. It was only when her grandfather died of a heart attack one spring and the fall's harvest had been unforgiving that she finally accepted. If she hadn't, she and her family would have to sell the farm and out be forced onto the streets. Kagome knew that she had to do what was right. She had to protect her mother and brother from the cruel, dark world that had taken everything from her.

The instant that she had agreed to the proposal, Kagome was thrown in the world of jewels, politics, and baths. She was forced to wear long silk gowns and necklaces that hung heavy from her neck. Servants caked powder on her face to create a flawless porcelain look that could not originally be achieved due to the years she worked in the sun. At first she was stubbornly opposed to such treatment, but eventually grew to accept it out of courtesy. Prince Hojo was very kind- quite the polar opposite of his brother, Naraku- and gave her everything she would ever want. He doted upon Kagome by giving her jewelry, clothes, and even the occasional pet, but it did not make her happy. Her mother and brother were forced to reside back on the farm with her Buyo, though they did visit every now and then.

Today, only a couple months after her acceptance, was the day of the Royal Proclamation that all royalty went through a couple days before they were to be married. Kagome looked in the mirror in her room and let out a sigh. She was wearing a light blue silk dress and the five foot train trailed along behind her. On her neck was a sapphire necklace that Prince Hojo gave her. Raven curls cascaded down her back and she had the urge to rip them out. She hated how she looked. Prince Hojo always called her the most beautiful woman in the world, but if he believed it why did he dress her up? She continued to stare at the mirror for a while dreading the next couple days, but turned around when she heard her bedroom door open.

"Prince Hojo…" Kagome started. Bright, shining blue eyes examined her beautiful face as he walked forward and took hold of her hands.

"Darling, we're to be married. There is no need for such formality." guilt began to gnaw and tear at Kagome's heart. She had to come clean and back out while she still could.

"About that; Pri-… Hojo. I don't think I can marry you. I do not love you." The smile on the prince's face faltered slightly before returning even wider than before.

"Is that why you're so concerned? Kagome, that's quite alright. Very few royal couples are in love before they're married. You'll grow to love me just as much as I love you." Kagome's lips turned to a small frowned though Hojo failed to notice. Did he really love her? They rarely spoke so the thought of having any sort of physical contact hadn't even crossed her mind. They had only known each other for four months. Mind you, he _**had**_ been asking for her hand for years before she accepted his proposal. Apparently he was smitten the instant he heard the first story about her.

A young albino servant girl appeared in the doorway thankfully breaking the awkward silence. Kagome had seen her around the castle before; she had become quite close to Naraku and if she remembered correctly he would call her Kanna.

"Prince Hojo, Princess Kagome. The king requests that you start the Proclamation now." Both of them nodded to the little girl and followed her, Hojo holding Kagome's hand all the while. The princess knew better than to pull away; despite his impeccable leading skill and wit, Hojo was unbearable thick-skulled when it came to romance. He refused to acknowledge any sort of rejection and remained as stubborn as a mule. The three of them walked through the dark stone hallways and out to the open balcony that revealed the outside world. Kagome glanced below to the sea of people boredly as they cheered at her every move. Releasing her from his grasp, Prince Hojo walked up to the railing and began his dull speech.

"Citizens of my kingdom; I present to you the most beautiful woman I have ever met. She is to become my bride and your queen." Thundering applause erupted from the crowd at Prince Hojo's declaration. Though he called her beautiful, Kagome felt nothing but pure ugliness. She looked across the horde of faces and saw nothing but bland, adoring smiles. They did not know her, nor did they know the truth.

She tuned out the tedious voice of her fiancé and looked down at the mob of people until a specific person caught her eye. At the very edge of the crowd hidden in the shadows was a man covered in a long blood-red jacket and wore a black tricorn that rested comfortably on his head. He was leaned against one of the kingdom's many black carriages and she could have sworn she saw a smirk form on his lips. Before Kagome could get a better look at the man she was ushered back inside to escape the heat and dirt from the outside world.

Kagome looked at the waves hurtling themselves against the shoreline as she sat on the beach's sand. The sun was directly above and she let out a peaceful sigh as she watched the repetitive crashing waves. She had been dismissed for the day, but was requested to stay within the castle walls to keep her safe from possible threats. She obviously ignored the request and took the first horse she saw in the stalls to visit the beach. She just had to get away from her life, if only for a little while. It was comforting to be able to not think about anything other than what lay before her.

In the distance Kagome caught sight of the tiny outline of a ship heading to the ports to dock. How she longed to escape from her fate, but she knew she could not. If she ran off, her family would no longer be taken care of. She had not seen them in months, but Prince Hojo told her that they were being taken care of by some of his servants. Kagome was trapped; she could not run away, but she could not stay. The clear blue water looked so welcoming, begging her to come in.

"Perhaps I should just jump in and take in a lungful of water. Let the deep consume me. I wouldn't have to be in pain anymore and my family won't be shamed. Prince Hojo deserves more than me anyways. He needs someone who will love him; be forever loyal. If only it were that simple." Kagome groaned and slowly stood up.

"Instead of suicide I'd like to suggest a more pleasant alternative." A masculine voice spoke from behind and she stiffened. If any of the citizens had heard what she said, the kingdom would be thrown into chaos. What would happen if the people found out that their future queen didn't want to marry their future king? The princess swirled around and saw three men standing not far behind her.

"How long have you been standing there? It's rude to eavesdrop you know!" Kagome tried to seem intimidating. She tried to stand her ground despite her lack of fighting skill and the fact that she was much shorter than the three. The man who looked to be a monk was around five foot five with black hair and unique violet eyes. He wore purple robes and had some prayer beads wrapped around his right hand. She was not worried about him since she knew monks to be peaceful; what worried her were the other two men.

The tallest man of the group had to be at least three times the size of Kagome. He also looked to be the oldest due to his worn, tan skin and the stringy ponytail that held his black hair. The giant's bright blue eyes bugged out of his head as they peered at her in awe. His clothes were tattered and looked to be patched from other clothes. _He probably has to make the clothes himself_. She thought. Kagome turned her attention to the last man. He looked to be a wolf demon; she could tell by his ears. The man's long hair hung in a high ponytail and he was covered in fur and metal armor.

"Forgive us your highness. My name is Miroku. These are my associates, Koga and Jinenji." The monk said gesturing to the wolf demon and then the giant. "We did not mean to pry, but it seems that we can coincidentally help you with your situation." She blinked in surprise. These men were willing to help her run away?

"Really?" she questioned skeptically.

"Yes. You see, we are merchants from the land of Gakusanjin and we are returning tonight. If you'd like we could take you aboard and you can make a new start when we arrive at the port." Koga said. After thinking it through, Kagome deemed the plan reasonable. Gakusanjin rarely interfered with the affairs of other countries and always had a large amount of immigrants coming in to make a living. It was where Inuyasha was planning to go before he…

"What about my family? They would not be cared for if I were to suddenly disappear"

"We will have some comrades watch over them until your 'death' blows over. Then we shall transport them to you." It could have been a trap. It was most likely was a trap. It was almost definitely a trap.

"Alright, it's a deal." Kagome didn't know what she expected to discover on her journey based on a rash decision, but frankly she didn't care to find out. Anywhere was better than the silk strait-jacket she had willingly trapped herself in. Kagome glanced around to make sure they weren't being watched and then started towards the trio. However, a mysterious man wearing a blood-red coat watched the group from a distance on his ship. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"Sango, take care of the ship while I'm gone. Go around to the east side and I'll meet you there." The man quickly ran to the port to steal a ship to catch up to the men.

* * *

Boarding the boat had been rather easy. No guards were standing watch at the port and they were the only ship there so Kagome was able to slip in unnoticed. The three men worked quietly and efficiently as possible so they wouldn't get caught. She felt a small squeal of joy escape her lips as the men untied the boat and shoved off into the great blue. Freedom had touched her lips and she enjoyed every minute of it. She made the mistake of closing her eyes and instantly felt a sharp pain in the back of her head.

She woke up a few hours later as the sun was setting with her hands tied around her back. Her body was leaning against the side of the boat and her legs were folded underneath her. The three men were doing various things about the boat; checking the sails, steering, or looking out to sea. Kagome silently cursed her irresponsible choice and glared at the monk when he realized she was awake.

"Your Highness, I am afraid we have not been entire honest with you." Miroku said as he squatted in front of her slender figure with a sad smile.

"Really? I had not noticed." she commented sarcastically. Kagome was used to being threatened; it had become an everyday occurrence.

"The king of A-Un has requested that we kill you."

"A-Un?" Kagome said startled, her bitter attitude completely lost. She had thought this was only a minor kidnapping until then. She wanted to die and it seemed that these men were willing to help. She almost wanted to laugh at the irony.

"Of course, the king believes if Prince Hojo's precious wife is murdered by those employed by A-Un, your kingdom will start a war with us. Your love will be too wrapped up in his depression to devise a proper strategy and his power will become ours." Kagome chose to ignore all other parts of what the monk had said except for one word.

"He is not my love!" Kagome yelled, surprised at the volume of her voice. She hadn't meant to shout it. The three men snapped their heads towards the princess and looked in astonishment. "I mean, he is not my husband… yet anyways." The wolf pulled himself away from the sails and squatted next to Miroku.

"If you are not in love with Prince Hojo, I think a different course of action is called for." Koga said.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll become my woman and we could hide away. Neither king would be any the wiser and we'd still get our money." Koga grinned at his own genius plan. Kagome sneered at his foolish plot. She wanted to throw up, or at least tackle the smug look off his face.

"Your woman? I'd rather you go through with your original plan." His face dropped into a snarl and Kagome smirked at accomplishing her achievement.

"Well it's not up to you is it?" Koga snarled.

"I may not love Hojo, but he loves me and he'll find you before the week ends with enough time for us to get married." Kagome said confidently.

"Wait a minute. What if I want her to become _**my**_ woman? I need someone to bear my children before the curse kills me." Miroku asked turning to Koga, ignoring what Kagome had said entirely. The princess was thrown off by the monk's perversion. Weren't holy men supposed to remain abstinent? She was also a little disturbed by the whole "curse" thing.

"No way, you lecher! She's mine!" Koga, suddenly very territorial, spun to the giant that was steering the ship and bared his teeth. "What about you, dummy? You gonna try to woo my girl too?" Jinenji did nothing but blush and continued to look out to sea.

"He isn't a dummy, you jerk! And despite his unwanted advances, Miroku can't be more of a lecher than you are." Kagome chastised the rude wolf, but he seemed unfazed.

"You haven't known them as long as I have." Koga said. The young princess let out a huff in defeat and turned her head away to ignore the men in front of her. She was so willing to run away from her hopelessly daft fiancé that she ran into the arms of three murderers/kidnappers. _What an odd day it's become…_

* * *

_End of chapter two and so many questions! Who do you think was watching Kagome at the beach? Who was that odd man in the red jacket? What is Naraku's plan? Will Kagome be saved? Please review so I can hear your thoughts! Thanks_


	3. The Journey

_MMH: Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is so short; I'm trying to get back into the swing of this. I know I haven't updated recently and that's because I've been focusing on another story. Luckily for you, I hit a terrible metaphorical tree in **that** story so I'm going to have to do some major editing. Since I hate to do major editing, I procrastinate; I procrastinate by writing other stories. And that is why I updated this story. Wow, I said "story" a lot in those last few sentences... Anyways enjoy and review!_

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The four occupants on the ship had not said a word to each other except for Koga shouting a few commands for the past two hours. The moon was now out and it was the only source of light aside from a few lanterns that Jinenji had lit. Miroku was resting against the side of the ship staring into the ocean, Jinenji was drawing on the floorboards with his claw, Koga was steering the ship, and Kagome was still sitting uncomfortably on her legs. She hadn't dared reposition otherwise she would draw attention to herself.

"So... how long have you guys known each other?" Kagome asked to no one in particular, breaking the unbearably long silence. She could not take the awkwardness any longer. Luckily, if she had learned anything from her time at the castle it was how to escape uncomfortable situations. It was the monk who turned around and smiled, acknowledging her presence.

"Taking an interest in our lives are you?"

"Not really, I just figured I'd pass the time until Prince Hojo comes to save me."

"Why do you keep saying Prince Hojo and not just Hojo? You _**are**_ supposed to be close to him, right?"

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine." Kagome stated smartly. Perhaps if she kept them talking, they'd let something important slip; like where they were heading.

"I've known Jinenji since we were children. We teamed up with Koga a few years back when we were in prison for theft. Now spill." The princess bit her lip. She didn't want to tell her whole life story to these men.

"I just don't feel that we've reached a point in our relationship that I can be that informal with him. That's all." Miroku watched intently at her until Kagome shifted uncomfortably and pulled out her legs in front of her.

"Why go through with it then?" he asked. She looked up to the monk and furrowed her eyebrows at his frankness. Few people were so direct with her and it had been that way for months. All around the castle, servants would shrink away from her whenever she tried to talk. Prince Hojo's brother, Prince Naraku, would exchange pleasantries with her, but she felt a shiver run down her spine whenever they'd speak. She didn't know how to react to the unfamiliar behavior.

"I beg your pardon?" Kagome questioned.

"Why are you so gung-ho on marrying him if you don't love him?"

"That is none of your business."

"I just figured if we're going to be married I should know about your previous relationships." Kagome blushed at Miroku's retort. The monk _**was**_ rather charming, but there was no way that she would willingly marry him. Or Koga. Or even Prince Hojo she had suddenly decided.

"You are not going to marry her, lecher! She's my woman!" the wolf shouted from the helm. The two turned towards Koga and the monk let out a small chuckle. Miroku was used to his friend's unfriendly behavior; he knew that Koga was never going to hurt him… or at least fatally.

"You wolf demons are all the same, very territorial. Just like dog demons." Miroku said and smirked as he went back to the side of the boat and resumed staring at the distance. He knew that comment would push the wolf off the edge.

"Don't compare me to those mutts! And why do you keep looking out there? If you're so bored then why don't you go below deck and sleep or something?" he shouted still holding onto the wheel. The monk didn't say anything for a while. His small smile had left his lips, but it hadn't been replaced by anything.

"There's someone following us." Miroku said boredly. The three others snapped their heads towards him in surprise.

"What? For how long?" Koga shouted. Jinenji stood up and raced over to the monk's side to look for himself while Kagome was still stuck on the floor. She attempted to stand up by herself, but it was proving to be quite difficult.

"I think since we left."

"You've been watching him for that long and didn't bother telling me?"

"You didn't ask." Miroku replied.

"Do they have blue sails?" Kagome asked hopefully. If they were blue that meant it was one of Prince Hojo's ships.

"No, they're the traditional white. He's not flying any particular flag either so I don't know his intention." Miroku murmured.

"It doesn't matter because we're gonna lose him." Koga said as he released the sails. The ship lurched just as Kagome managed to get herself up. She sprawled forward and landed on top of Miroku.

"Are you alright, my lady?"

"Yes I'm fine. Thank—" Kagome suddenly felt Miroku's hands slide down her back and touch her bottom. "If my hands weren't tied behind my back I would slap you." he smirked and gingerly helped her back to her feet. The two glanced over to see that the approaching ship was now only a few thousand feet away.

"He's almost on top of us, Koga." Jinenji said worriedly.

"I know that!"

"Are you sure you're using these sails right?" Miroku asked jokingly as he prepared the ship to reach land. "Or maybe it's you're using the wind wrong?" The ship gently reached the land and the men didn't even bother anchoring it; there was no time. Kagome looked onto the beach and saw that it connected with tall, fearsome-looking cliffs. They looked even more intimidating since it was dark. Were they going to climb those?

"Shut up you idiot! Whatever; we're here anyways. Jinenji, pick her up." Koga dropped the ramp and ran over to the cliffs. The giant slung the princess over his shoulder and carried her off the ship. They walked to a long rope that dangled from the top of the cliffs. Koga climbed onto Jinenji's back while Miroku hung from his left arm. Kagome soon found herself lifting up farther and farther away from the ground and onto the giant's right shoulder. She squeaked and shifted uncomfortably.

"Try not to look down, Lady." The giant offered. They were halfway up the rope when the ship had landed and a figure. It was difficult to tell what he looked like both from the darkness and the height they were at. He sprinted over to the rope and was climbing up it in a flash. Though the four of them were moving quite quickly, the mysterious man behind them was catching up.

"He must be a demon." Koga murmured to himself. "C'mon, you stupid hanyou! Put your strength to good use!" Kagome looked over to the wolf in disgust. It was people like him that had hurt her love.

"I feel I should mention I'm carrying three other people and he's just carrying himself." The giant softly defended.

"Do I look like I care?"

"Don't be so rude. You're doing great, Jinenji." Miroku comforted as he patted the giant on the arm.

"That's right I'm very proud of you." Kagome reassured him as well, though she could not pat him like the monk had. Though no one could see, Jinenji blushed faintly at the lady's comment and quickened the pace of his climbing.

"He's not a child, you two!" Koga growled. The four of them eventually reached the top and they all let out an audible sigh of relief. Kagome quite literally fell off Jinenji's shoulder onto the hard ground while the wolf and the monk simply dropped off. She was tempted to complain, but kept quiet; she was lucky enough as it is that she hadn't fallen while they were climbing the cliff. Koga raced over to where the rope had been tethered and slashed at it with his claws. Like lightning, the rope snapped back and disappeared over the edge. Miroku, Jinenji, and Koga peered over the side only to see that the man had managed to grab onto the cliff instead of falling to his doomed like they had hoped.

"Are you serious? He's like a leech." Miroku said astonished. The man was now advancing towards them at a much slower pace, but he was advancing all the same. The cliffs were jagged and unstable so it was quite difficult to climb them without the assistance of rope.

"Monk, you stay here and kill him if he somehow manages to get up. Jinenji, you pick up the princess and follow me." Koga barked as he started to leave.

"What if he doesn't make it?" Miroku asked.

"Then he doesn't make it. We'll meet up with you in Mayu." Kagome hid her gasp and smirked. She knew where they were going; now all she had to do was find a way to contact Prince Hojo.

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_I like this story. It helps me relax. My other stories are such an effort to write; one is a murder mystery (p.s. there should be a new chapter soon) which requires a ton of love and attention... and the other one had that metaphorical tree I mentioned earlier. Action is coming up! I'm excited. Don't forget to review!_


	4. The Three Trials and the One Mistake

_MMH: Hey there, reading people! I don't really have much to say so just read and review! It'll make me happy!_

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Miroku sat on a nearby boulder waiting to kill the mysterious man that had yet to reach the top of the cliff. He was twiddling a blade of grass between his index finger and thumb; the waiting was becoming unbearable. It had been a solid twenty minutes. The man hadn't fallen, but was simply going unbearably slow.

The monk let the blade of glass slip from his fingers and stared at his right palm which was covered by prayer beads. The wind tunnel in his hand tugged gently at the beads, but did not suck them in. He briefly contemplated using it on the mysterious man, but decided against it. He only used his wind tunnel on evil men and for all he knew, the man following them wasn't. The mysterious fellow was just another kidnapper/thief just like himself.

After another ten minutes, Miroku stood up sighing and peered over the edge of the cliff.

"Hey! How's it going down there?" Miroku shouted down. The mysterious man glared up to him and took a hold of the rock wall, but it crumbled in his hand.

"I'd greatly appreciate it if you didn't distract me. This is much harder than it looks."

"Do you think you could hurry up a little?" The man looked up to the monk in surprise and just a little bit of amusement. Now that the mysterious man was closer, Miroku saw how he didn't look like all the other demons he had met. His golden eyes were covered by a black bandit mask and his long white hair was braided tightly in a long streak.

"Aren't you just there to kill me?"

"Yeah." Miroku replied boredly.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait." The man replied as he grabbed a sturdier looking part of the cliff and pulled himself closer to the top. _I hate waiting._ The monk thought to himself.

"What if I threw some rope down to you?"

"How do I know you won't cut it?" The man did have a point. Miroku wasn't known for his honesty, but he would never stoop that low. Not that the man would know that.

"I swear on my father's grave, you have my word." The mysterious man looked up to the monk for a while, contemplating his offer.

"A'ight. Toss some down."

"Don't worry. We'll fight when you're ready." The two men sat down and watched each other carefully. Miroku hoped that the mysterious man could fence; really fence. Winning a swordfight wasn't nearly as much fun when the opponent died within the first few minutes. He had tried to teach his companions to fence many times, but they seemed unteachable.

The monk cast a concerned look over to the man next to him and hesitated before saying something. "Do you… do you have a scar in the shape of a spider on your back?" The mysterious man gave Miroku a confused look. "Humor me." Slowly the man in red stood up, took off his jacket, and lifted his shirt to reveal his back. There were a few scars from sword slashes or whip cracks, but none came together in the form of a spider.

"Such an odd request." The man smiled as he dropped his shirt back to its original position. Miroku let out a small sigh of relief and then returned the gesture. Both of them sat down while the mysterious man rested for a little bit.

"I can never be too sure. I'm searching for a man with a spider on his back and I figured if you were him, I could kill two birds with one stone." Miroku glanced over to the figure who chuckled.

Miroku's father had been killed by a man with a spider on his back. He had cursed his hand with a wind tunnel that would be passed down to every male heir until the man with a spider on his back died. Eventually the hole would consume him if he didn't kill the man and he had no heir to kill the man. Miroku had tracked the man with the spider on his back to A-Un until he went into a bar and never went out. That's where he was found by Jinenji and Koga.

"It seems that I must disappoint you again. However, I do hope you find him." The mysterious man continued to watch Miroku as he stood. The monk followed suit and grabbed the hilt of his blade with his left hand, ready to fight. "One more question before we start; the woman. Is she safe?"

"Not a single hair is harmed, I assure you." Miroku replied warmly as he also let his hilt rest in his left hand. Though he was technically right handed, it was good practice for him. He could slay ten average men with his left hand, but he could slay at least twenty-five with his right.

"All right, let's begin." The two touched their swords indicating the beginning of their duel and the mysterious man immediately started off on the offensive. It was a rather bold move. However, with every swing that the man had, Miroku blocked it with ease. The monk had drawn the first blood. He had managed to nick the front of the man's left hand. It was only a scratch really, but it was still bleeding.

"Personally I had hoped that you'd be better than this." The men continued parallel along the cliffs, careful not to fall.

"Oh I just don't want you feeling bad about yourself." The man in red teased. Miroku raised his eyebrow playfully and confidently leapt onto one of the nearby boulders. His opponent followed suit by jumping onto one next to his and they continued their fight on the rocky terrain. They travelled from boulder to boulder, the duel becoming more off a game of fun than actual skill. However soon the mysterious man grew tired of rock jumping and lunged at the monk at incredible speed. The man's blade flashed in the light and distracted Miroku long enough for the side of his neck to receive a slight cut.

He fell back into the dirt, but quickly got back on his feet. The monk knew that he had to change the fight in his favor soon. Even though it was fun, both of them were out to kill each other.

"You could have killed me." He feigned hurt, stepping backwards toward the cliffs.

"Could have." The man smirked and advanced towards Miroku, blade pointed in his direction. One of Miroku's feet reached the edge of the cliff and he knew he could not retreat.

"You are quite good. I must admit that you're better than me." The monk replied humbly, but a large grin rested on his face. The man leapt at him, swords clashing against each other. Miroku tried with all his might to not fall backwards onto the rocks below.

"Then why are you smiling?"

"I am not left handed." With all his might, Miroku forced the man backwards and switched the sword from his left hand to his right. Now he had the advantage. He leapt towards the man and conquered his every move with ease.

They continued away from the cliff towards safety to the dunes. The man tried to parry, he tried to sidestep, tried to avoid another cut to his body. Feeling cocky, Miroku did a backflip onto the sand remarkably not even landing with a stumble.

"Show off." The man joked.

"What can I say? It's not every day where I can have fun like this. Jinenji and Koga are terrible swordsmen."

"Are those the men you're traveling with?" the man asked. Miroku bit his lip realizing too late his faux pas.

"Yes. Jinenji is just clumsy, but Koga is simply dreadful. He lets his emotions get the best of him." By this point, the two of them knew they were having a good time and did not have any real intentions of killing the other. However they also knew that only one of them could win.

It was Miroku's one false step that caused him to fall, only this time he did not get up quickly. When he had fallen his right knee twisted violently to the side and swelling already began. In an instant, the mysterious man had the end of his sword pointed at his bleeding neck.

"Who are you?" the monk asked astounded.

"No one, really. Just another man."

"So this is how it ends, eh?" he sighed in defeat. He had been beaten. However, Miroku felt some relief to know that he hadn't died from the wind tunnel.

"Hardly." In one swift motion, the man hit the monk with the hilt of his sword and he fell to the ground with a thud. The mysterious man hadn't killed the man, but merely knocked him out. It would have been a horrible crime to murder a man with that wonderful kind of talent.

* * *

Koga and Jinenji had been running when the wolf suddenly halted in his tracks. He sniffed the air and growled. The mysterious man was coming towards them and fast; Miroku had failed. Poor Kagome was cradled in the giant's arms fast asleep. She had not slept at all since before the proclamation which had been almost a day ago. It was foolish of her to leave herself so vulnerable to her kidnappers, but she didn't really care.

"Jinenji! Hand the woman over to me. Stay here and kill the man that's following us. If you fail like Miroku did, don't expect me to welcome you back with open arms."

The giant stood staring at the sunrise waiting for the man to come. The sun was rising as he squinted towards the horizon and saw a figure sprinting towards him. The man continued towards him at full speed but halted when he realized that Jinenji wasn't moving.

"Hi." The giant said sheepishly.

"Why are you just standing there? Aren't you going to try to kill me?"

"No." The man stood staring at the giant in awe. "How about we fight, but don't kill? If I win you have to stop pursuing us, but if you win I'll let you pass." Jinenji was a thief and a kidnapper, but certainly no murderer. If Miroku and Koga _**had**_ decided to kill the princess, he would have knocked them out and set her free. He simply did not have the heart to slaughter another living thing. He was a man of principle.

Jinenji's mother had always taught him to be kind and fair despite how cruel people had been to him growing up. The only person that was his friend was the monk Miroku. The two of them grew up outcasts and decided to befriend one another. The townspeople tormented him and threw rocks at him, but he never lost his temper. That is, until one of his neighbors killed his mother. He blacked out for about an hour, but woke up with the man dead at his feet. Jinenji was arrested, but instead of being killed he was sent to work in the Prince Hojo's family mines a day's worth away. Koga found him there and helped him escape in order to help him carry out his jobs in A-Un. From there, they found Miroku and he joined their group.

"Sounds fair." The mysterious man was pleasantly surprised by the giant's gentle nature. _He must be Jinenji_, he thought as he tossed his toward to the ground.

"If we're going by fairness, I feel I should tell you I do not know my own strength."

"Then I feel I should tell you I've taken down bigger demons than you in worse situations. You have no need to worry, my friend."

"Did you kill Miroku?"

"No. I didn't have the heart to slay him so I knocked him out. He should have nothing more than a headache when he awakes."

"Good." The giant was tempted to ask something else, but he knew that they both knew that answer. The man was a hanyou like himself. He doubted that Miroku had known, but he didn't think it would have mattered either way.

There was a moment of silence before the mysterious man tackled the giant. He had not fallen backwards like he intended, but he still latched himself on. Jinenji tried not to laugh as he wrapped his arms around the man and squeezed. And squeezed. And the man slipped out of his grasp.

"You are quick." Jinenji commented.

"Luckily for me." The mysterious man replied. The giant grinned as he picked up a large rock and threw it at the man. Unfortunately he missed so he tossed another. He missed again; the mysterious man was just too quick.

Jinenji felt his strength dwindling and he slowly realized why. He had not fought a single man in such a long time that he had wasted all his energy using broad swings when he should have been swinging more carefully.

The man disappeared from Jinenji's view and he instantly grew concerned. Where was he? It was too late when he felt the man on his back with his hands around his throat. His air was lost, but Jinenji continued to struggle. However the giant soon fell to the ground unconscious and the mysterious man climbed off of his shoulders.

* * *

"Are you joking? What's the point of having a skilled swordsman and muscleman if they don't do their damned jobs?" Koga shouted when he saw the man in red coming from the horizon. The two had barely made it to the cliffs above the beach before the wolf took notice of the mysterious figure. Kagome shook awake and stretched her neck since she could stretch her limbs.

"What's going on? Where are Miroku and Jinenji?" she asked hazily.

"Gone. They couldn't get rid of that damned man and now I'll have to deal with him." Koga growled and he untied the woman's legs. Kagome gulped worriedly as he helped her up. She did not trust Koga; mind you she didn't trust Miroku either, but she definitely trusted Jinenji. The mysterious man sprinted up to the two and Koga grabbed Kagome towards him harshly.

"Stay back unless you want this woman's neck slit." The wolf threatened.

"He won't kill me. He wants to marry me." Kagome said confidently. The man in red hissed in anger.

"Shut up, woman!" Koga growled and brought his claw to the woman's neck.

"Hand the lady over and I won't have to harm you." The mysterious man glared at Koga, but flitted his eyes to the woman every other second.

"I'd rather die."

"I can make that happen."

"How about we fight for her?" Koga proposed bravely.

"I've already beaten your monk and your giant. What makes you think I can't beat you?"

"I am better than both of those men combined." The mysterious man let out a loud bout of laughter causing Koga to jump and, though he had not meant to, accidentally scratched Kagome's skin in the process. A little bead of blood bubbled and then trickled down her frail, pale neck. The wolf did not have a chance to apologize or even acknowledge what he had done. The mysterious man tackled Koga, causing Kagome to land backwards. The rope binding her hands snapped and she stood up quickly. The man in red punched the wolf's face again and again, by this time Koga was probably out cold.

"STOP! Please, don't kill him!" Kagome begged as she tugged at the mysterious man's arms. She wanted Koga hurt, but definitely not dead. The mysterious man froze before letting go of the wolf, causing him to fall to the ground. He took a deep breath before suddenly turning to her with a proud grin gracing his face.

"Fear not, Your Highness. You do not need to worry about those men any longer."

"I know you. You were at the royal proclamation the other day, weren't you?"

"You caught me. I have heard tales of your beauty from across the world and I just had to see for myself. I saw those three men kidnap you and instantly knew I had to help." The man smirked at Kagome and she instantly felt a shiver run down her spine, all concern for Koga long gone. The man was rather dashing. He defeated the monk, meaning he was a good swordfighter. He defeated the giant which meant he was strong. Kagome chose to belief that he beat the crap out of Koga for her honor. However she did find it peculiar that the man wore a mask to cover his golden honey eyes.

"May I know the name of my rescuer?" she asked shyly. If she could properly thank the man, perhaps Prince Hojo would reward him with something of value. Kagome could not do much, but she could influence her fiancé's decisions. The mysterious man had turned around to inspect the water's horizon, looking for something Kagome didn't bother asking about.

"But of course my lady; I am the great pirate Captain Houndsfang." He said. Kagome's breath caught in her throat. Everything that could have gone wrong did. She managed to run away from Prince Hojo only to be kidnapped and she was saved from her kidnappers only to run into the arms of her love's murderer. How could she have so easily been swayed by this man's charm and good looks? Her stomach churned and she felt as if she were about to throw up, disgusted by her hormones' filthy betrayal.

"W-what?" Houndsfang turned around to see her face and mistook the tears of horror to be tears of joy.

"Ah feeling a dream come true? Instantly awestruck by the sight of me are we?"

"Hardly. You killed my love you son of a bitch!" she screamed. Houndsfang's smirk was wiped from his face as he was taken aback by the girl's drastic emotional change. He looked down at her earnestly.

"I have done nothing to his highness. A beautiful lady of your status should not let such vile words escape from her lips."

"I'm not talking about Prince Hojo." Kagome seethed. "His name was Inuyasha... you murdered him four years ago." She saw the pirate flinch at the name. _So he does remember._

"I've killed many. One man is nothing to me."

"Well he was everything to me." Kagome gasped as she watched the man's eyes turn from apathy to disgust within a millisecond. Why would he care about her feelings, much less be disgusted by them?

"Oh please. You're engaged to another man! Tell me, did you fling yourself at the prince the moment you heard of your supposed love's death or did you wait a day out of respect?" Kagome's eyes matched the fire was held within the pirate's as her hand connected with the side of Houndsfang's face, causing it to turn to the side.

"Why do you torture me so? You know nothing of why I did what I did!" she cried. The pirate turned his face to back her, the whites of his eyes turning a terrifying red and purple lines streaking across his face. He slapped the back of his hand against her cheek, bringing her to the ground.

"You did it for money; you did it for power; you did it because you are nothing more than a shallow, pretty-face just like every other woman in this world. You pretend that your heart longed for that boy but you do not mean it."

"My heart died that day. Just let me die too." Her whole body shook with sobs and her hands grabbed fistfuls of grass trying to control herself. Thankfully Houndsfang had calmed down a bit and his eyes returned to their bright honey color.

"No. I want you to feel guilt. You should feel blessed that your precious servant boy is not able to see you for the harlot you are."

"I am no harlot. I was faithful to him! He was mine and you murdered him!" In a fit of rage Kagome stood up and used all of her strength to shove Houndsfang off the cliff into the ocean below. A small gasp escaped her lips as she watched the body fall through the air into the cold, unforgiving water; she was free. She was free from Prince Hojo, from those three men that kidnapped her, and now she was free from that horrible pirate that tormented her so many years. Kagome smirked proudly at her accomplishment. Soon the smirk became a chuckle and the chuckle became a fit of laughter. However it soon stopped when something clicked inside her mind. Servant boy? She had never mentioned Inuyasha's occupation and she doubted her love stated it before his death.

Kagome's faces contorted from confusion, to joy, to anger, and then horror within a matter of seconds. How had she not seen it before? His ears were hidden by a black bandana, but his long silver hair still lay against his back. His honey eyes were still the same, though they had grown slightly cold over time.

"I-Inuyasha?" something vile crawled up her throat and threatened to spill onto the grass beside her. She would not lose him again. Without a second thought, Kagome leapt from the cliff towards her servant boy.

* * *

_Can you believe it? Such action and drama! I was super concerned about Miroku's part but it turned out to be my favorite. I kind of rushed poor Jinenji and Koga, but they'll be back. No worries. I left you at a cliffhanger (literally). Oh, I crack myself up sometimes. Anyways, don't forget to favorite if you like it and review if you... well review no matter what! ANd by the way, this is NOT the ending. What a terrible ending that would be..._


	5. The Cave of Thieves

The fall was rather short considering the distance between the cliff and the ocean below. Kagome did not mind the sensation of falling; it was rather pleasant. However the feeling was quickly shattered when her body collided with the cold, harsh water. All air left her lungs and her body stung as if thousands of little blades cut at her skin. The freezing temperature constricted her movements so all she could do was slowly float down to the ocean floor. Kagome would have drowned if not for the heaven-sent pair of arms that dragged her to the surface.

The young woman sputtered as she broke through the water's surface and she felt herself being hauled towards shore. She did not complain; her limbs still tingled and ached from the collision with the ocean. Inuyasha carried her to the beach and laid her down gently on the warm sand. He carefully inspected every inch of her for injuries before looking in her bright blue eyes.

"Kagome? Are you alright?" Warm, concerned honey eyes gazed down at her and Kagome felt her chest swell; she was finally whole again. Her beautiful smile was quickly replaced with a scowl however.

"You… asshole! You hit me!" she screeched as her hand slapped his bicep. Her hand stung one again. Kagome _did_ dive off the cliff to be with Inuyasha again, but she also did it so she could yell at him some more. Inuyasha's concern quickly changed to a mixture of hurt and anger as he backed away from the woman.

"I'm the asshole? You're the one who's marrying someone else! You broke your promise to me!" Inuyasha stood and folded his arms in irritation. He still remembered that dumb promise that she made to him before he left? For all those years, she was still in his mind like he was for her. Kagome bit her lip to stop from smiling. A sentimental gesture was not going to stop her from getting rid of all the frustration she had kept to herself for the past four years.

"If you hadn't left I wouldn't have had to make that stupid promise in the first place!" Kagome defended as she cautiously found her footing and stood up. She mirrored his stance so it looked like two giant four year olds were having a shouting match.

"I told you I didn't want to rely on your grandfather!"

"Well it doesn't even matter because my grandfather's dead!" she screamed. All of the tension that had been building up was lost and was now replaced with unbearable silence. Inuyasha looked taken aback and his fists drooped down to his side.

"Ojiisan died?" he asked; he found a small quiver forming at the back of his throat, but cleared it away before it made its presence further known.

"Yes… he passed away last spring."

"How?"

"He was sick. He had been for a while, but that winter was really hard on him."

"I'm sorry." Inuyasha sighed as he watched Kagome plop ungracefully to the ground. All of her etiquette lessons that she had taken while in the castle must have not sunken in very well. She grabbed a fistful of her hair and wrung out most of the water as tears started forming in her eyes.

"That's why I finally agreed to marry Prince Hojo. The winter had taken grandpa as well as ruined our crops so there was no money coming in. Prince Hojo promised that Mama and Sota wouldn't have to work another day in their lives and I had to put them first. They wouldn't have been able to survive without the farm." A small tear escaped and the hanyou's heart ached to see his love so miserable.

"Kagome, I'm –" Inuyasha tried to apologize again, but Kagome continued her dramatic monologue unfazed.

"And you never came back and so that was the only way I could save them. I waited for years but you never came back. I tried to convince myself that you weren't dead but no one survives an attack from Captain Houndsfang, but it turns out you were Captain Houndsfang and now I'm really confused because Houndsfang has been terrorizing the sea for decades and you've been gone only a few years." Kagome's hysteria slowly became confusion and she looked to Inuyasha as she wiped away her tears for an explanation. She had not meant to let her emotions get the best of her, but they had been welling up for so long that they had just sort of slipped out.

Inuyasha withheld a frustrated sigh; if they didn't get moving soon they would miss the meet up with his crew. However he knew that Kagome would not move until he answered her question.

"When my ship was attacked I was convinced it was the end. I thought about how I would never see you or your family or the farm ever again. To my surprise I was the only surviving hostage. At first Houndsfang would never explain why, he would just say to me 'Enjoy this day, son; It might be your last'. For three whole years he said that. The only thing that kept me going was seeing you again." Kagome let out a small smile and watched as Inuyasha began to pace back and forth, continuing his story. "One day he took me into the captain's quarters and told me he wasn't really Captain Houndsfang. His real name is Sesshomaru and he's my brother. The real Captain Houndsfang is our father. He became a pirate in order to care for me and my mother and Sesshomaru joined him as his first mate. When my mother died they figured I was dead too so they stopped sending money and eventually I found my way to you. I acquired the title Houndsfang and all new crew members so they wouldn't know the truth."

"Why didn't you come for me sooner?" Kagome asked and looked up to him with heartbroken chocolate eyes. Inuyasha froze in his pacing and felt his mouth dry up. The truth was that he could not respond. It wasn't like he did not know where she was. All he had to do was pass off the Houndsfang title and run back to their small, poor, wonderful farm. Why didn't he go to her once he was free?

Inuyasha knelt down to her and gently cupped her face.

"It doesn't matter because I promise I will never leave you again." Kagome was not satisfied with that answer, but decided that they could discuss it later. Though this was her love, they had not been together for years and she was unsure how much he had changed. _He did hit me. The old Inuyasha would never do that._ She thought cautiously. Inuyasha took her hand and helped her up before heading off towards the east.

"Where are we going?" Kagome asked and started after him.

"I'm supposed to meet up with my crew on the other side of the island."

"This island is huge! It's going to take at least a day to get across it." Kagome whined.

"But I know a shortcut."

* * *

Prince Hojo was locked away in his study completely oblivious of what to do. A small groove had worn its way into the floor from his pacing back and forth. His Kagome had been missing for a little more than a day and the search parties had returned empty handed. She couldn't have gotten very far, right? What was he to do?

Before Prince Hojo could destroy the floor any more with his pacing, Prince Naraku walked gracefully into his study with his hands out in front of him cupped. Ever since Kagome had come to the castle Naraku locked himself away up in the room looking for the Shikon jewel and would only come out for special occasions. This must have been a very special occasion.

"Naraku, thank goodness you're here! I'm so worried and I don't know how to find Kagome." Prince Hojo cried exasperated as he made his way over to the older prince.

"Fear not little brother; I have something that will help us figure out her location." Naraku opened up his hands to revel a flying insect about the size of a tennis ball. Its blood red eyes glared up at the younger prince, who withdrew in disgust.

"What on earth is that?"

"A bug of my special design. It'll help find your precious Kagome" Naraku said, not giving more than that vague explanation. Prince Hojo bit his lip; he knew that his brother was into the dark arts and probably acquired the bugs from that.

"Those creatures aren't going to hurt her are they?" he asked hesitantly as he cautiously looked at the bug's large stinger.

"Not at all. They are just trackers." The older prince remarked with an unsettling smirk.

* * *

"Kagome hurry up! It's gonna take all day to get to the ship the way you're walking."

"This is hardly a shortcut Inuyasha." Kagome complained as she picked up her pace along the dirt path. The two had continued along the beach when they came across a trail leading into a forest nearby. Inuyasha probably would have gone straight east through the thick foliage and other elements if Kagome had not been with him.

"This isn't the shortcut!" he growled, but continued forward. "We're going to the shortcut. It shouldn't be long now." The two continued forward. Inuyasha heard a faint buzzing sound but brushed the thought away as there simply being a bee's nest nearby.

"Are we looking for something specific? Like a boulder or river or something?"

"A thick old tree." Kagome hesitated and a small pout formed on her lips. They were travelling all this way looking for an old tree? How was Inuyasha so positive that he had not passed it already?

"That's it? That's hardly anything particular."

"Well I can't tell you everything because you're an outsider. Now shush."

"But I'm going to find out what it is sooner or later so why—"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha hadn't meant to be so rude, but he was not used to her constant chattering. His crew (well, most of them) quaked with fear when they saw him and followed his every command without hesitation. No one ever talked so freely around him. Kagome was always one to speak her mind, but it became more prominent recently. Maybe her title was the reason? She probably could have asked for anything and it would be given to her in a matter of seconds.

The sun's ray peeked through the tree tops and splattered the ground. The leaves rustled as the wind whistled out a gentle breeze. Kagome shivered slightly due to the dampness of her clothes. Inuyasha either must not have minded the cold or just didn't notice.

"How do you even know where this shortcut is?" Kagome asked, breaking the pleasant silence. Inuyasha took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled¸ trying to calm himself.

"This island is swarming with criminals and they've got to hide somewhere. That's why those men brought you here in the first place. If any do-gooder stumbled upon this place on accident, the whole island would either capture them or kill them."

"That's awful!"

"That's business." He said hoping that answer would keep her quiet for a little bit longer. Kagome let out a huff and glared at the back of Inuyasha's head as they continued walking. His shiny silver hair swung back and forth. His hat was lost when they fell into the ocean so his two cute little ears peeked out through his forest of hair. She suppressed a grin and stopped in her tracks when she heard something buzzing behind her. Kagome turned around and her eyes went wide with surprise.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome was growing on the hanyou's last nerve so much that he had not noticed the scared tone of her voice.

"What?!" he barked and turned back to look at her, however his focus was quickly redirected to the giant swarm of large insects heading towards them. Their beady eyes glared down at them and their stingers curled towards the two, ready to strike. "Get on my back. Now." Kagome did not need to be told twice. Just as she wrapped her arms and legs around his torso Inuyasha bolted down the path, hoping to evade the killer bugs.

One of the wasps sped up ahead of the others and lurched towards Kagome, stinging her on her arm. She hissed in pain causing Inuyasha to shift her higher on his back and ran even faster. The environment blurred around them and Kagome closed her eyes in fear. The two made their way to the center of the forest and a gigantic ancient tree peaked through the treetops in the distance. Inuyasha raced towards the direction of the trunk and it finally appeared in front of them. He whirled around to hold the girl that was on his back before jumping into a small hole that was hidden between a few gnarled roots. Angry buzzing hummed above them, but thankfully they were not capable of getting in.

"What were those things?" Kagome voice rasped between gasps as she rested her head against Inuyasha's hard chest. She was suddenly feeling very tired.

"Hell if I know. I've never seen those bugs on the island before. Are you alright?"

"I think so. One of them stung me though." Startled, he swiped Kagome's arm and pulled up her sleeve to inspect her injury. Her skin around the area was swollen and hot to the touch. Inuyasha carefully prodded the blood red wound and Kagome let out a painful hiss.

"We need to find an antidote. Let's go." Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Kagome's tiny waist and gently lead her down the cold, dark path.

"Inuyasha, I'm fine." she defiantly tried to pull herself away, but the hanyou's grip tightened around her to prevent her from escaping. Her own strength was surprisingly absent as she tried to struggle against the hanyou.

"You won't be soon. I've seen a sting like that before and it doesn't end well." Just as Inuyasha finished that sentence, it seemed as if the world began to stretch and bend around her. Kagome blinked several times hoping to clear her eyesight, but it only got worse. Heat rose up her neck and pooled in her cheeks and her breathing became light and raspy.

"I thought… you said that you didn't know what those… those buggies were." She tried her hardest to keep focused, but found herself drifting off midway through her sentences. It was becoming increasingly difficult to remember what she was going to say, much less what they were actually talking about.

"I don't, but I was… _**visiting**_ a small village not too long ago and saw those exact stings." Whether Kagome didn't catch the hesitation or simply ignored it was unknown to Inuyasha. The dark tunnel was soon enveloped in warm light from hundreds of torches as it opened up to a cave inhibited by rows and rows of shopping stalls. The two shuffled to the nearest stall and the hanyou gingerly placed her against it. "Stay here." Kagome nodded at his request and felt her head loll to one side as she looked around.

"We need an antidote."

"For what?" Kagome heard the gruff voice from above her and she titled her head up to listen. Her arm stung as Inuyasha pulled her up and ripped her sleeve to show the bite. The vendor clucked his tongue and leaned his forearms against the cart. "That's a Saimyosho sting. Highly poisonous." Kagome slumped against Inuyasha too tired to carry her own weight so he wrapped his arm around her once more.

"Yeah yeah, how much are we talkin'?"

"Two hundred gold."

"What?! I should kill you where you stand." Inuyasha growled and started to reach out towards the man, but froze when he heard Kagome let out a pained whimper. "Fine. Don't expect my business again." The man seemed apathetic to the hanyou's threat and the two quickly exchanged the antidote for gold.

Inuyasha popped the cork from the vial and carefully poured the liquid into Kagome's mouth. It tasted bitter, full of herbs and mysterious ingredients she had probably never heard of. She coughed and sputtered to get the tonic out of her mouth, but she swallowed some all the same. Her insides began to cool and her eyes finally became clear. With the help of Inuyasha Kagome stood on her own two feet and rubbed her eyes.

"You feeling better?" he asked with a firm grip still on her arm. Kagome nodded and gently pried his claws away from her skin. "That was close. We should head out soon before we attract too much attention. Do you need anything else?" Suddenly, as if it had a mind of its own, Kagome's stomach growled from neglect. She thought back to the last time she had a meal and was surprised to realize that it had been two days ago. "Let's get you some food."

The pair walked through the throngs of people and glanced around at the rows of stalls. Kagome was fascinated by all of the tropical animals and precious jewelry that lay before her while Inuyasha passed by without a passing glance. Finally the mass of people broke apart and the two reached a food cart.

"Stay right here, Kagome and I'll get you some bread. Don't talk to anyone. We clear?" Inuyasha barked as he turned towards Kagome. She nodded obediently with her spine straight and eyes lowered. It was clear that this was his territory and he knew what was best. A princess meandering about in an unknown location definitely spelled trouble for her.

However as he left Kagome in the middle of the path, she couldn't help but glance around at the neighboring stalls. Most of them were similar to the ones in the more populated area, but there was one hidden in the back corner that had caught her eye. Most of the kiosks were hastily put together with rotted wood and barely held together, but this one was a glorious black silk tent and towered above the others with a fearsome aura. Above the entrance was a purple banner with the words "The Thunder Brother's Vassals and Pets" scrawled in gold lettering.

Curious, Kagome tiptoed to the tent's entrance and hesitantly opened the skirt. Her nose was overwhelmed with incense and smoke that caused her to go into a fit of coughs. The area was uncomfortably dark and Kagome could not see two feet in front of her.

"Why hello there, valued customer! Eager to empty your pockets for an exotic pet?" the voice from nowhere had startled her and she squinted her eyes in search of the source. Soon her eyes adjusted enough to see the faint outline of a large… man? It was so difficult to tell. His head was quite large in proportion to the rest of his body.

"There are many other shops that have animals. What's so different about yours?" she questioned, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Mine are a… special variety. Please, have a look around." Hesitantly Kagome took a step closer inside and noticed that dozens of cages that had been stacked and lined along the sides of the tent. She peered inside one of them and was horrified by what she saw; there was a human child in there! His body was curled up into a ball and his bones protrude starkly from his clothing. His eyes were dull and for a moment she was scared that he was not breathing until he coughed with such force that his entire body shook. Kagome quickly looked inside of all the other ones and saw they were filled with small figures; some were sick, some were scared with tears streaming down their faces, and some were even dead.

"You monster!" Kagome screamed as she whirled to the shop owner. The demon that had been previously trying to stare as the woman's butt as discreetly as possible looked up to her with a mixture of surprise and anger.

"How dare you talk to me like that?!" he cried as he stalked towards her. Kagome was sure that she would be attacked if the curtain hadn't been pulled forth, revealing a silhouette.

"Kagome I told you to stay p—" Inuyasha stopped when he saw what was before him; his love in a slave den with a giant demon looming over her. "Let's leave. Now." The demon quickly returned to the behind the desk for protection and waited for the two to leave.

"No! We can't just leave them here, can we?"

"Of course we can." Inuyasha snatched Kagome's wrist and began to pull her towards the exit, but she stopped when something grabbed at the hem of her dress. Startled, she pulled her arm from the hanyou's grasp and looked down to see that a tiny little paw had a handful of her silk dress. Kagome let out a heartbroken gasp and knelt down to the cage which housed the poor little demon. The kitsune looked up at her with big green eyes and reached out to gently touch the back of her hand.

"But Inuyasha this little boy needs us. He's all alone." Kagome continued to grasp the cage bars and stare at the fox demon, ignoring her hanyou's annoyed sigh. A pain swelled deep within her heart and she knew that she would not be capable of forgiving herself if she left this poor little boy.

"So what? I was all alone when I was his age too." He growled and turned to leave. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Kagome would follow him if he decided to leave her there.

"You had someone to take you in."

"I found a loving family when I was about to die. That was a one in a million shot."

"What if we're supposed to be his loving family?" The silver-haired hanyou stopped and looked over his shoulder to his love and the fox demon that longed for any sort of comfort. That thought had not crossed his mind. Kagome's eyebrows were knitted into a determined scowl and the little boy's body shook as he tried to hide his tiny sniffles. Her dress was still slightly damp from the fall into the water and her once perfectly-straight hair looked as if a bunch of rats had taken up residence on her head. She was beautiful.

"Fine, but if he's a burden even in the tiniest bit I'm throwing him to the crocodiles." Ignoring her love's empty threats, Kagome smiled down at the small fox. "We'll take him." Inuyasha said and plopped a large coin purse into the slave-owner's hands.

"What a generous deed…" the ugly demon gleamed down at him with his crooked smile as his fat hand snapped back towards his torso with the gold.

"You're just lucky that a lady is present or I'd rip you to shreds right now. In two days I will send some men to your shop and if these poor children aren't freed, I'll have your head for a trophy." The slave-owner growled and went over to the cage which housed the little fox demon. Pulling a large ring of keys from his pocket, he fumbled through them until he found the correct one and opened the tiny cage door.

"Don't worry, you'll be save now." Kagome cooed as she picked the young boy up and ran her fingers through his dingy brown hair. The woman followed the hanyou out of the tent with the boy in hand and they quickly made their way to the exit of the cave.

"Is he really going to throw me to the crocodiles?" the boy whispered and looked up to her, his eyes full of innocence. Kagome withheld a loving squeal.

"No sweetie. Crocodiles don't live around here. He's just trying to seem threatening."

"If you aren't careful, I'll throw you to the crocodiles too." Inuyasha growled behind to them. Kagome rolled her eyes and shifted the fox boy's weight on her hip before following the hanyou.

Inuyasha had changed so much while he was gone and yet remained the way he was at the same time. Before he had left he was so introverted but still headstrong, but now he was abrasive, inconsiderate to others (except for Kagome of course), and quite aggressive. He was behaving much like he did when he was a child.

"I'll protect you from that mean man, Kagome. I promise." The fox demon grinned up at his savior. The three had been walking through a long dark tunnel before a wooden door appeared before them. Inuyasha pushed the door opened to reveal a bright stream of light. Kagome covered her and the little demon's eyes until they adjusted.

"What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Shippo! I'm a super powerful fox demon." She giggled as the young boy puffed up his chest and flexed his arms to demonstrate.

"A powerful fox demon, eh? How'd you get caught then?" Inuyasha bit towards the pair as he walked towards the beach. He did not appreciate how his love was ignoring him for a little punk. The sun was now only a little bit above the horizon. How long had they been in there?

"Don't be so mean Inuyasha. He's only a little kit." Kagome scolded and nuzzled her nose against the boy's lovingly. Inuyasha rolled his eyes but felt a spark of jealousy run through him all the same.

* * *

_MMH: Woo, I'm on a roll! I'm actually rather proud of this chapter. Who do you think is going to be on Inuyasha's crew? What do you think is going to happen next? When do you think we'll see Miroku, Jeninji, and Koga again? Will poor Prince Hojo ever find Kagome? Don't forget to favorite if you like it and review no matter what!_


	6. The Tessaiga

_MMH: Hello all! I hope you enjoy this new chapter! It's full of new characters and I hope it'll make you happy. Don't forget to favorite if you like it and review no matter what! It would also make me happy if you check out my other stories too. They aren't Inuyasha based, but I'm sure you'll enjoy them. Enjoy!_

* * *

The warm sun had set while Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kagome had been walking causing the air to cool and the soft earth harden. For a while the girl and the small boy had chattered on excitedly, but eventually they quieted down as their surroundings grew dark and all they could hear was their feet against the ground. The three were not out of the woods yet, but the faint smell of ocean had touched the hanyou's nose and he grin with excitement. Sweet freedom.

"Inuyasha do you think we could stop and rest? We've been walking for hours and I can hardly see." The small woman called from behind him. Inuyasha looked back to see Kagome becoming very sluggish and he sighed. The woman had slowed considerably since they had left the cave and that kit in her arms certainly wasn't helping her keep up.

"We're almost there, I promise."

"Just for a little bit? These shoes are hardly practical for walking long distances." Kagome pleaded sweetly. Inuyasha looked at her and instantly knew he couldn't say no.

"Fine. We'll take a short break, but don't go fallin' asleep on me." He sighed. The princess nodded her head enthusiastically and plopped against a large tree. She placed Shippo into her lap and the two snuggled comfortably against one another while Inuyasha climbed up a tree to inspect their surroundings. Just as he had suspected they were probably a mile from the shore and he could see his ship waiting faithfully. For about thirty minutes he just sat up in the tree and watched his ship, excited to finally be returning.

When he hopped back down it did not surprise him that both the little demon and the lady were fast asleep. Inuyasha figured it would be best; he would probably have had to end up carrying her anyways thanks to those painful-looking shoes she was wearing. After watching Kagome sleep for a little bit, Inuyasha headed towards the pair and swatted the tiny kit off of her lap.

"Get up. It's time to go." He whispered to the boy.

"Kagome's not up yet." Shippo whined loudly. The hanyou turned to him with a vicious glare and brought his finger to his lips, signaling the child to be quieter.

"She can stay asleep." He gruffly replied as he carefully scooped up the snoozing girl in his arms and started heading towards the shore.

"Who's gonna carry _**me**_?" Shippo continued, this time quietly.

"Your own two feet. Now pick up the pace before I leave you."

* * *

It was a sleepless night for all those in the castle. All of the servants had tried to comfort poor Prince Hojo, but he refused to change from his pacing. Even his mother Kaede and father Totosai were of no use. It was around three in the morning when Prince Hojo's brother burst through his bedroom door.

"My insects have found Princess Kagome." Prince Naraku said with feigned excitement. The kidnapping of Princess Kagome had become a real thorn in his side. At first he was convinced that she had run away, but he quickly dismissed that thought; what girl would run away from being a princess? The girl's kidnapper was quite elusive and it had taken Naraku's insects a few hours to locate Kagome and a few more hours to send notice back to him.

"That's wonderful! Where is she?" Prince Hojo asked excitedly. What he should have been asking, however, was _'Really? How?'_. Of course, Prince Hojo did not have time for trivial questions when his bride-to-be was missing! God forbid she be huddled in a ditch, raped and near death. He refused to let his mind wander to such terrible scenarios.

"It seems that she and her captors are heading towards Hari, some old town for retired sailors. They must think that they can hide her there until they can communicate a ransom."

"We must get her back! Mama, Papa! We must send out ten ships towards Hari!" Prince Hojo shouted down the hall to his parents. Soon both the queen and king's heads appeared out of their door.

"For what, dear?" the queen asked politely with her hair a frizzy mess. She had just been feeding the king his spoonful of medicine before bed just as her son's shouts startled both of them. The king had taken quite a liking to Princess Kagome and it upset him greatly when she went missing.

"Kagome's kidnappers are headed there! We must get there as soon as possible!" The royal parents sighed and nodded their head before heading downstairs to organize the soldiers. Prince Hojo turned back to his brother and grasped his shoulders. Prince Naraku shivered slightly, but his younger brother ignored it. "Brother, would you do me the honor of coming with me to rescue my bride."

"It would be my pleasure."

* * *

"Kagome…Kagome we're here, love." Kagome pried her eyes open when she heard Inuyasha's voice. She let out a loud yawn and shifted slightly in the hanyou's arms.

"Where's here, exactly?" she asked as he carefully placed onto the ground. Her legs were slightly stiff as her feet touched the ground.

"My ship. This is the Tessaiga." The boat was at least forty-five feet long and the masts pushed up endlessly into the sky. After raising her arms up and curling her spine backwards to stretch, Kagome looked around and noticed that a certain tiny kit was missing.

"Where's Shippo?" Kagome said as she looked around for the small boy and Inuyasha shrugged uncaringly. An irritated pout formed on her lips and she spun back to where they had come from. Out of the darkness of the forest Shippo appeared as he slowed from his running, huffing and puffing.

"Here I am." He wheezed. Kagome gasped and ran over to the poor boy. Gingerly, she scooped up his tiny frame and shot a glare towards the hanyou.

"You forced him to walk by himself?! Inuyasha, it was a miracle he could keep up." She scolded. Though she couldn't see his face very clearly she just knew that he was rolling his eyes.

"Calm down. I knew he would be fine." Inuyasha assured as he folded his arms and watched the woman while leaning against a tree. She shot her love and incredulous look and rubbed her hand through the young boy's hair.

"Fine? He's practically having an asthma attack!"

"Can we talk about this later? We need to get on the ship." Without saying anything else Kagome nodded her head and began towards the ship with the small boy in tow.

"Whoa! It's so huge!" Shippo cried happily. Kagome felt Inuyasha's presence following close behind and smiled, her concern for the kit briefly forgotten. When the three boarded the ship, the crew onboard erupted into action. The men ran about preparing to set sail and Kagome and Shippo watched in awe at their efficiency. A shrill whistle pierced the air and the three turned towards the source of the noise to see a woman looking at them mischievously. Her long black hair was tied up loosely in a ponytail and a large white colonial shirt hid her curvaceous figure. Her black boots were caked with mud and seaweed, but even that couldn't detract from her beauty. Her deep brown burned into Kagome's soul and she found herself gasping for breath.

"She's so pretty, Inuyasha. Could I meet her?" Kagome asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure that…" Before he could finish the woman let out a huge smile on her face. She made a bee-line for the two and Inuyasha groaned.

"What's up Cap'n? Are you going to introduce me to your new _lady_ _friend_?" she said and wiggled her eyebrows as she reached the group. Inuyasha said nothing so Kagome decided that she could introduce herself.

"My name is Kagome. It is a pleasure to meet you." She politely stuck out her hand for a greeting and the other woman shook it rather aggressively, but enthusiastically.

"Sango. I am mutt-boy's second in command. Say, you're not PrincessKagome are ya?" she asked. For a moment Kagome froze. What was she supposed to say? It then occurred to her that there was no real reason to worry about being taken back to Prince Hojo. She _**was**_ among pirates.

"Yup that's me." She replied shyly.

"Wait a second; are you also the same Kagome who this guy won't stop yammerin' about?" Sango continued. Kagome blushed slightly and nodded. She looked briefly to Inuyasha and saw that his eyes were bugging out of his face before a fierce growl escaped his lips. "Boy, do I have some stories for you…" the woman continued, ignoring the ferocious intimidation.

"Sango…" Inuyasha threatened.

"I take it you guys go a ways back?" Kagome questioned. By this time the princess had put down Shippo, who hid behind her legs, and the two women where clucking like old hens.

"Hell yeah." The woman joked.

"Sango! Don't curse in front of Kagome." Inuyasha scolded.

"Who's this little guy?" Sango asked ignoring her captain and knelt down to look at the small figure hiding behind Kagome. The little kit poked his face from behind the smaller woman's calf and looked at the stranger with hesitation.

"I'm Shippo." He spoke barely above a whisper and he bit his lip shyly.

"Well, aren't you the cutest thing I ever saw?"

"Enough chit-chat. We need to set off. Make yourself useful and see that Kagome and that kit get some food, would you?" Inuyasha's voice was suddenly full of authority and that caused the crewmen to increase their productivity ten-fold. Sango stuck out her tongue, but guided the woman and the kitsune to the kitchen anyway.

Though the food on the Tessaiga wasn't anything compared to the food back at the castle, Kagome devoured it all. Shippo, much like Kagome, had not eaten in days and soon his belly was swollen from all the delicious treats. Soon everyone headed off to bed, only a few crewmen staying up to gamble. Sango carried a sleeping Shippo off to the bunks and Kagome walked out on deck. She looked up to the beautiful, clear sky. The stars twinkled brightly, illuminating the ship just enough for her to see her love up at the wheel.

"Aren't you hungry?" Kagome asked as she glided next to Inuyasha. A small smile graced his lips.

"I'm fine. How was the food?" he asked, his concentration transfixed on the horizon.

"Good. I don't think I can stand to have another bite." She smiled, but it soon became somber. "What's a woman like Sango doing here? Surely she has a family to care for?"

"I wish. She was a lady in waiting for the queen of Bunza when your fiancé's father overthrew the kingdom." Kagome's ears perked at the mention of the king she had come to think of as her father. "He sent some men to stabilize his new land and they did it by murdering almost everyone connected to the royal family. Sango got out safe, but her brother and father weren't so lucky."

"The king would never murder innocent people!" Kagome pushed herself off of the wooden rail and folded her arms defiantly. Though she had only a few lengthy conversations with the man, she had known him to be very fair and loving despite the cruel illness that had been deteriorating his health. Kagome refused to let someone speak so poorly of such a kind man.

"It wasn't the king that did it. It was some guy named Naraku." Inuyasha said as he waved his hand and continued to watch the ocean. Kagome's eyes grew wide at that revelation. She had always known Naraku to be a rather creepy fellow, but it had never crossed her mind that he would be capable of mass murder. She was tempted to stand up for the man she didn't even really like, but decided not to. If Naraku didn't kill Sango's family, then who else would have? "After that, Sango came to me trying to become part of my crew. I had tried to make her reconsider. I said she had so much to live for back in her hometown, but she was determined to come with me. I figured that tenacity had to be useful so for some reason I agreed." Inuyasha finished. It was quiet and the couple listened to the waves beat against the ship before Kagome smiled.

"I'm sort of glad you did. I'm glad I'm not the only woman onboard. Is that selfish?" She asked. Kagome had not had a female friend in years. Every girl in the kingdom envied her either for her looks or for being engaged to Prince Hojo. She was more than happy to give up the position, but at the time she did not have a way out.

"Yeah." She turned to Inuyasha with a concerned frown, but it disappeared when she saw his playful smirk.

"So where are we headed?" Kagome asked as she stood behind her love at the wheel and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"A safe house. We need a place to hide you until all of this blows over." Inuyasha noted, more interested in the location of his love's hands instead of her words. How he had missed her gentle touch.

"How do you know this safe house will be safe?"

"My brother and his wife are there. If anyone can hide you, it's them."

"Wife? Is that why he made you captain?" Kagome questioned curiously. She had not heard much of her hanyou's family and she was pleased to hear that there was the possibility of another woman to befriend.

"Yeah."

"How'd they meet?"

"It's kind of a long story." Inuyasha mumbled. Kagome's curiosity got the best of her and she pushed on.

"We have more than enough time, I'm sure."

"We were pillaging a tiny village a couple days south from here. It was pretty routine; take only what looked valuable. But one of the men thought it'd be fun to slaughter an innocent couple and try to rape their little girl. Sesshomaru found him just in time and slit his throat."

"What happened to her?" She asked worriedly. It was silly to be worried; of course the girl was safe and happily married.

"Sessh grew fond of her. It was weird; I never would have thought he'd fall for anyone. He decided that the pirate's life was too dangerous for Rin so he had to find a replacement. I was the only reasonable option."

"That's romantic, in a way. Changing your whole life for the one you love." Kagome sighed contently at the thought. Sure, she had to change her entire life, but she certainly was not in love with Prince Hojo.

"That's what I'm going to do too, you know. Now that I've found you I'm not going to let you go. We can find a new Houndsfang to take over and move to the countryside." He said. Kagome looked to the side and rested her head against his back.

"What about Mama? And Sota? And Buyo?"

"Buyo's still alive and kickin'?" Inuyasha asked, clearly surprised that the stupid cat had lived that long. Kagome smiled and nodded her head against the hanyou's back. "Some of my men will be sent to your old farm and they'll come with us. I've got enough gold to have us live in luxury for twenty lifetimes."

"Well, the countryside does sound nice. However we won't need luxury. A little cottage is fine by me."

"Yeah, me too." Inuyasha chuckled. Kagome and Inuyasha remained like for a while, with her leaning against his back listening to his heartbeat and him steering the ship with a satisfied smile.

The ship reached the sailor town of Hari early in the morning. The sun was just starting to rise as Sango, Kagome, Shippo, and Inuyasha made their way through the quiet town. No one but the cows were awake and their mooing was faintly heard from farther away. The group headed down the cobblestone path and turned down a small alleyway. The path twisted and turned until they had to walk in single file. Thankfully the claustrophobic backstreet opened back up to reveal a small cottage, hidden from the town. The light brown brick front blended in with its surrounding walls and the red shutters were the only indicator that it was a different building entirely. Inuyasha knocked several times on the door that had been camouflaged with the surrounding area and Kagome heard a muffled shuffling come from inside.

"Inuyasha! What a pleasant surprise." A tiny woman cooed as she opened the door and enveloped the hanyou into an inviting hug. Kagome took this girl to be Sesshomaru's wife, Rin. Her voice fluttered about the room like chimes and Kagome enjoyed the voice happily. She had not heard such a cheerful voice in such a long time it was almost completely foreign to her. "Who's this?"

"King Totosai's future daughter-in-law."

"You didn't." The small woman in front of them gasped. Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders apathetically and Rin pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Sesshomaru! Your brother is here!"

"What has the idiot boy done now?" A tall man came into the room and took the place next to Rin. Kagome withheld a gasp when she saw his features. His smooth, silver hair was quite a bit longer than Inuyasha's and purple lines streaked across his porcelain cheeks. Despite his stoic face, Kagome had caught the hint of irritation in the man's voice.

"I've got my woman back." The hanyou said proudly as he pulled Kagome closer to him. The hanyou's brother's face remained the same while the woman's face softened and her eyes warmed.

"This is the sweet girl you've been talking about? Awww, Yash she's absolutely beautiful." Rin gushed as she took Kagome's hands in hers and pulled her towards the couch, all her previous concern long forgotten. From the inside the house seemed much larger. Though there were no windows, the house was very open. The living room was spacious enough for everyone to be comfortable. "Everyone, please come inside." Shippo, Inuyasha, and Sango followed behind the women and Sesshomaru let out an exasperated sigh.

"Whether she is your woman or not, she is betrothed to the prince of Dai and that means he will be searching for her as well as all of his men." The youkai tried to sound reasonable as he shut the door. Perhaps if he explained to his brother the severity of his situation the hanyou would take more reasonable actions and leave him alone.

"That's why I brought her here. She needs a place to hide." Inuyasha said as he took his desired place next to Kagome. The woman looked to him and smiled which he returned. Sango and Shippo stood next to the doorway, eyeing their surroundings suspiciously.

"No." Sesshomaru said and everyone erupted in defiance.

"We can't just leave her out in the streets! She'll be found." Sango protested and folded her arms boldly. Shippo matched the woman's pose, but quickly changed it to a more humble one when Sesshomaru looked down at him in irritation.

"I did not give up that life to have it drop into my lap again." He said. The room fell silent as everyone looked at each other worriedly. Inuyasha was about to stand up to his brother when Rin spoke.

"Love, Yash is simply trying to do the same thing that you did. How would you feel if he didn't help you when you found me?" she asked as she looked at her love with calmness. The space between them burned with electricity as they seemed to only be speaking with thoughts.

"Fine. She may stay." Sesshomaru finally said. "But she has to help you around the house. She can't just lounge about." The house was filled with sighs of relief and incessant chattering; the tension in the room had diffused without incident.

"I'd love to help! I haven't cleaned anything in months." Kagome said warmly and Rin squealed with joy.

"Yay! I finally get to spend time with another woman!" the smaller woman cried.

"I'm very glad that you've agreed to let me stay here for a while. I know it can be difficult to do something you don't want to do." Kagome said, trying to show respect for the youkai and his bride. "I must say that your meeting is absolutely fascinating."

"Some consider it a sign of weakness to care for Rin the way I did…_**do**_. However I do not think so. That is all that matters." Sesshomaru said firmly as he sat down. Rin joined him and rested her head on his shoulder. He peeked down towards her and let a small smile form, but it was quickly brushed away. Kagome could not stop grinning at the pair. The drastically different couple somehow complimented each other perfectly, right down to their contrasting hair color.

The next couple days Kagome had spent with Sesshomaru and Rin were pleasant and peaceful. Kagome swept and cleaned the dishes, but other than that Rin insisted on doing everything else. She had been so kind to Kagome. Sesshomaru had decided to steer clear of the soon-to-be-ex-princess, unsure of what to make of her. Inuyasha stayed with Kagome, but had been out making arrangements for the new Captain Houndsfang. Unfortunately he could not find anyone "worthy enough". Sango and Shippo returned to the ship to look after the crewmen and take care of the ship. Shippo had wanted to stay with Kagome, but everyone decided that there wasn't nearly enough room for three guests in Sesshomaru's small cottage.

It was the fourth day that Kagome had been staying at Sesshomaru and Rin's house when she decided to go exploring. Rin had graciously given her some commoner clothes to wear and they thankfully fit her rather well. The brown skirt hit right at her ankles and the white shirt was pristine. The only issue she had was that the matching brown bodice was a tad tight on her.

Her hosts were not yet awake and Inuyasha had gone into town. Careful not to make a noise, Kagome opened and shut the door as she was surrounded by the cool morning air. She was thankful to her hosts, but she had not been outside since she arrived. There was nothing she wanted more than to just walk around. Kagome slid down the skinny alley and stepped out into the morning rush of people. Most of the crowd was elderly people, but there were a handful of folks her age and children running around.

Kagome gently pushed her way through the mass of people, taking in all of her surroundings. The Sunday morning was peaceful and very light-hearted and she knew that everyone felt it. A flash of silver hair caught her eye and Kagome turned towards the diversion. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped.

His hands holding her arms. The closeness of their faces. The blush on the woman's face. Everything about Inuyasha and the mysterious lady make Kagome want to die right there. She blinked back tears as she watched the betrayal unfold before her. It made sense that Inuyasha had another woman. After all, he had been gone for four years and he was a pirate. That's what pirates did. Suddenly Inuyasha titled his head upwards and sniffed the air. He turned to see her heartbroken face before she took off running in the opposite direction into the mob of people. He soon bolted after her, but she had a decent head start. Kagome ignored Inuyasha's pleas for her to stop and instead focused on making sure he did not catch her.

Kagome ducked into an alleyway and Inuyasha sped by her a second later. Sobs wracked her body as she crouched to the floor. He had left her. _Again_. She remained like that for a few minutes before collecting herself and stepped out of the alley. Kagome did not know where else to go so she began making her way to the docks to talk with Sango. However a loud voice broke out through the noise of the crowd and she stopped.

"Hey look! It's Lady Kagome!" Kagome spun around to see two faces she never thought she'd see again. Miroku and Jinenji's broad smiles were hard to miss in the large crowd and her eyes grew wide. _You've got to be kidding me._ She thought to herself.

* * *

_Such drama! What is Kagome supposed to do now, betrayed in an unknown town and face to face with two of her captors? Oh no! Don't forget to review and/or favorite!_


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